C.O. fire managers warn: Woods still dry despite rain

Central Oregon is in a pattern of cooler-than-normal weather and has seen rain over the last 24 hours, but wildfire danger remains high, fire managers said Friday

The U.S. Drought Monitor for Oregon issued on Thursday indicates that most lands within the Central Oregon District fall into the “abnormally dry” category. That reflects what fire managers are seeing in the forest and current fuel moisture conditions.

“Now into Oregon’s fifth year of drought conditions, we continue to see the long-term effects to the down material and live vegetation stressed from limited water,” Friday’s update said.

For the next few days, firefighters will benefit from the moisture, officials said, because it will be more difficult for a “spark” to ignite a fire and rapidly spread. This is because of the increased moisture in the fine fuels, but these fuels will quickly dry out, even with the moderate temperatures expected over the next few days.

“The biggest concern for us now, during the heart of fire season, is that someone assumes the rain has made it safe to burn,” said Central Oregon District Forester Mike Shaw.

When surrounding fuels dry out in the days following a debris burn, the remnants of that debris burn rekindle and spread to wildland fuels while no one is watching,” Shaw said.

Debris burning is not allowed on lands protected by the Central Oregon District of the Oregon Department of Forestry. Contact information for your local ODF Office can be found on ODF’s Central Oregon District website at http://odfcentraloregon.blogspot.com/

COD remains in a Regulated Use Closure, intended to reduce human-caused fires. Year to date there have been 36 human-caused fires in the district, primarily related to debris burning. This number is significantly higher than the 10-year average of 28 for the same time period.

These fires are preventable, causing concern for firefighters and fire managers. While fire managers have the ability to use modern technology to track thunderstorms and staff with additional resources, human-caused fires do not allow that, as they occur at random times.

Please report fires to your local 911 dispatch center.